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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kid · coach · wax · lean · firm · mouse · prune · tear

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. tear — from crying
  3. lean — thin
  4. wax — to grow
  5. prune — to trim
  6. tear — to rip
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. tear — from crying
  9. firm — decided
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. kid — to tease
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. lean — to bend
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. prune — to trim
  21. kid — child
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. firm — a company

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com